Rocking horse



Jan. 17, 1961 A. M. DODSON 2,968,483

ROCKING HORSE Filed June 19, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! ADRAIN M. DODSON BY ATT'YS Jan. 17, 1961 A. M. DODSON 2,968,483

ROCKING HORSE Filed June 19, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: ADRAIN M. DODSON United States Patent G ROCKINGHORSE Adr'ain'M. Dodson, 424 6th Ave.,Columbus, Miss. 'FiledJune 19, 1959, Set. No.821;550 2'Claims. (CL 272- 52) This invention relates to im rovements in a childs rocking "toy, commonly known as a ho-bby-hors'e.

The 'main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form of childs, spring-action, rocking toy, preferably of the rocking horse type; toprovide a childs rocking'toy'of this kind having an improved arrangement of a rocker arm and springs; and to: provide an improved toy of this kind of such simple construction as to make its manufacture most economical, its rocking and bouncing movements highly varied and pleasurable to the child to simulate all the actions of a live horse, and its use of extreme longevity.

One specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an improved childs rocking horse constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear end view of the same;

Fig. 3 is an underneath, perspective view of the supporting frame-work on which the simulated horse is mounted;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the plane of the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The essential concept of this invention involves a floor support or stand on which a seat-member is mounted by a rocker arm hinged adjacent its opposite ends respectively to the floor support and to the seat-member with springs interposed between the rocker arm, the support and the seat-member to permit varied vertical and angular movements of the seat-member relative to the floor support.

A childs rocking toy embodying the foregoing concept comprises, a fioor support or stand 6 and a seat-member 7 mounted for vertical and angular movements relative to the support 6 by a rocker arm 8, oppositely hinged to the floor support 6 and seat-member 7, with springs 9 and 10 interposed between the rocker arm 8 and the floor support 6 and the seat-member 7, respectively.

The floor support, here is shown formed of a pair of tubes 11 with their opposite ends bent oppositely outwardly and downwardly from the intermediate parts 13. The pair of tubes 11 are secured to the V shaped leg members 12 adjacent their respective apex 14 by bonding, whereby the tubes 11 are parallelly spaced apart. It is obvious that such bonding may be by bolts, welding, etc., but here shown as rivets 14'. The legs 12 are of such a nature as to give secure support for the toy and position the intermediate parts 13 an appropriate distance above the floor. The extremities of the legs 12 are seated in rubberor comparable substance-caps 16 to insure against easy movement of the toy on the floor when in use, and protect the surface on which the toy is placed.

The seat-member 7 here is shown as a simulated horse 17 secured to a frame comprising a pair of bars or plates 18 anchored in spaced parallel relationship by cross plates 19, 2t), and 21. The form and material of the horse 17 are more or less conventional for this type of toy and is made of the same material-as that used for the bars 18.

Therocker arm 8 here is shown as a section of tubing somewhat larger in diameterthan the tubing 11 used for the floor support 6. Opposite ends 23 and are bent in opposite directions and respectively secured byhinge pins .25 and 26 to the support 6 and to the seat-member 7. The hingeipin 25 penetrates the end 23-of the rocker arm 8 and spans the intermediate parts 13 of the tubes l l directly inward from the apex 14 of the rear legs 12. The hinge pin 26 penetrates the .end 24 of the rocker arm 8 and spanstheforwardends of the bars 18 .for therseatmember 7. 'To make for the easier action, and possibly greater longevity in their use, the hinge pins 25 and 26 are journaled in nylon bearings 27 (see Fig. 5).

The springs 9 and 10, here are shown as of the compression type. However, other types of spring could be used.

The rear spring 9 is secured at its lower end by a pin 28 to the rocker arm 8 a short distance above the bend adjacent end 23 and at its upper end by a pin 29 to the plate 19 on the bars 18 for the seat-member 7. The forward spring 10 here is shown secured at its lower end by a pin 30 to the forward apex 14 of the front legs 12 and at its upper end by a pin 31 to the forward end of the rocker arm 8 directly below the end 24.

A foot rest 32, of suitable material, is secured to the rocker arm 8 sufiiciently inward of the bent end 24 to make it convenient for the average child likely to be using the toy. As here shown it is secured by a rivet 32'.

Such a structured rocking-horse toy makes for actions never heretofore obtainable in this type of toy. The average child very soon will learn these several possibilities. By almost a vertically-exerted force of the childs body, straddle the horse 17, the horse can be made to move up and down vertically with very little forward or rearward movement. By a certain tilting back and forth rearwardly, the child can swing the rear end of the horse in an are about the pivot of the horse to the forward end of the rocker arm 8 with practically no strictly vertical movement of the forward end of the horse. Similarly, a certain tilting back and forth forwardly the same action can be achieved with respect to the pivot of the rocker arm to the floor support 6.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described it will be understood that details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A childs toy rocking-horse comprising, a simulatedhorse seat-member having a forked forward end, a floorsupport formed of a pair of spaced parallel bars mounting oppositely-extending and outwardly-downwardly-disposed pairs of legs spacing the parallel bars above the floor, a rocker-arm hinged at its upper end to and within the forked end of the seat member and hinged at its lower end to and between the parallel bars adjacently forward of the pair of rear legs, and a pair of coiled compression springs interposed between the rocker arm and the seat-member and the floor-support respectively, one extremity of one spring being secured to the rocker arm at a point intermediate its hinged connection to the seatmember and the transverse median of the rocker arm,

the other extremity of the one spring being secured to the forward end of the floor-support, one extremity of the other spring being secured to the rear end of the seat-member and the other extremity of the other spring being secured to the rocker arm intermediate its hinged connection to the floor-support and the transverse median of the rocker arm.

2. A childs toy rocking-horse comprising, a simulatedhorse; a seat-member for said horse having a forked forward end, a floor-support formed of a pair of spaced parallel tubular bars, and oppositely-extending downwardly-disposed V-shaped tubular legs spacing the parallel bars above the floor with the leg extremities contacting the floor outwardly of the opposite sides of the seat member to insure stability of the toy when in use, the distal ends of said spaced tubular members being anchored to and adjacent the respective apex of said V-shaped members; an S-shaped tubular rocker arm hinged at its upper end to and within the forked end of the seat member and hinged at its lower end to and between the parallel bars adjacently forward of the pair of rear legs with the oppositely concave portions of the S-shaped rocker arm respectively opposed to the seatmember and to the floor-support, and a pair of coiled compression springs interposed between opposite sides of the rocker arm and the seat-member and the floor'support respectively, one extremity of one spring being secured to the rocker arm at a point intermediate its hinged connection to the seat-member and the transverse median of the rocker-arm, the other extremity of the one spring being secured to the forward end of the floor-support, one extremity of the other spring being secured to the rear end of the seat-member and the other extremity of the other spring being secured to the rocker arm intermediate its hinged connection to the floor-support and the transverse median of the rocker arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bohlig Feb. 5, 1884 Sherrod Nov. 30, 1926 

